Carriage and caster for sewing-machines



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NESBITT D. STOOPS, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

CARRIAGE AND CASTER FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l18,852, dated July 18, 1865.

' To all whom 'it may concern:

Newark, Essex county, and Stat-e ot' New J er sey, have invented a new and useful Portable Carriage and Caster for Sewing-Machines 5 and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and egt-act description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, and the letters ot' reference marked thereon, in which the same letter represents the'same thing in each gure.

Figure l is a top view ot my improved carriage; Fig. 2, an under-side view; Fig. 3, a front elevation; Fig. 4, a sectional view of the caster, showing the spring-check in action; Fig. 5, a sectional view ofthe caster, showing the spring-check out of action.

A represents the base of the carriage or platform; B,the caster; O,thc groove therein; D,

. the socket; E, the liftingknob; F, the pawl;

G,the holding-pin; H,the caster-frame; I,the flange of the foot-socket; J, the foot-socket;

' K, the under lange ot' the caster-frame; L, the

spiral spring.

The object of my invention is to supply a convenient means of moving a sewing-machine from place to place without lifting it or suhstantially raising the height ofthe table of machines already in the market, aud at the same time securing the machine from rolling or slipping away from the operator when in use, which has been the great objection heretofore to using casters in connection with sewing-machines.

'The operation of my improvement is as follows: Place the legs or feet of a skeleton-frame sewing-machine in socketsJJ, which Will bring the bottom of the foot even With or lower than the bottom of the platform. It you wish to move the machine, raise lifting-knob E, so as l to bring pin G out of the recess in the top of caster-frame H, in which it rests, (see Fig. 4;) turn the knob sufficiently to clear the pawl F from groove G of caster B, and then, releasing the knob, it will hold its place by the force of spiral spring L in another slight recess in the caster-frame and prevent the knob from turning and allowing the pawl to drop while the machine is being moved about. The casters are now free to roll in any direct-ion. To lock or secure them so they will not move, all that is necessary is to relift knob E and turn it back until pin G falls into the recess in casterframe H rst hef'ore mentioned, when spiral spring L will force pawl F downward, and as the caster B revolves it will presently catch in recess D, of which there are several in the circumference ot groove C, which groove always keeps the pawl in the line of the holes and prevents it from swinging sideivise when lifted by knob E and the knob turned.

l have shown tivo ways of mounting this improved caster, one uniting the socket for` the feet of themachine and the other having them separate. lt will be suttcieut to secure theimmobility ot' the maehineto have two of the casters provided with the locking-pawl and apparatus I have described.

Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The apparatus described l'or mounting a skeleton-frame sewing-machine upon a carriage, substantially in the manner and for the purposes explained.

2. Constructing a caster so as to lock and unlock, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

3. Socket J, When used for the mounting of a skeleton-frame sewing-machine on a carriage to prevent undue elevation of the machine.

4. Casterfframe H, so constructed afs to support the caster above the top of the platform, and also to prevent undue elevation ot' the machine by letting the caster up into the platform.

5. The combination of platform A, caster B, pawl F, socket J, and caster-frame H, or their equivalents, constructed and operating together substantially as described.

NESBlTT D. STOOPS.

Witnesses: i

S. J. GORDON, JoHN P. CRAIGHEAD. 

